Tag: National Park Service

Oh, To Be a Woman in Early Ste. Geneviève 

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When the United States government purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, it doubled the size of our nation. It also brought a significant cultural, political, and legal shift for the residents who had previously lived under French rule. Few of these changes were more significant than those affecting women.

Women’s rights in the small Missouri town of Ste. Geneviève were quite a bit different before the French Colonial village became part of the United States. French customary law had granted women a considerable amount of economic independence. For one thing, French inheritance laws did not discriminate against a widow, who would receive half of the estate when her husband died. The other half would be split evenly among her heirs – regardless of gender – and if there were no heirs, the wife received everything.  

French law also allowed women to buy and sell property and to enter contracts in their own names. They could manage households, farms, and businesses, often having influential control over estates. Women could lend or borrow money, marry or separate, bring a lawsuit or be sued, engage in commerce, and even use their maiden names. A husband could not dispose of his wife’s property without her consent.  

It’s difficult to know how many women in colonial Ste. Geneviève played active roles in property transactions and legal matters, since few were educated enough to leave written records of their daily decisions and achievements. Most women were consumed by the labor-intensive work of sustaining a frontier settlement as they managed households and participated in religious life.  

However, most of their legal rights ended in 1804 when the Louisiana Purchase was finalized and Ste. Geneviève became an American village, subject to a system based on English common law. Married women were stripped of their independent legal existence, merging their rights with their husbands. They could no longer own property, sign contracts or bring lawsuits. A husband now owned his wife’s personal property, wages, and real estate, and held sole rights to their children. 

Women in Ste. Genevieve slowly adapted to these changes, of course. They continued to be active participants in churches, schools, courts, and many businesses. They were also primarily responsible for keeping the town’s French traditions alive, like the annual La Guiannée (New Year’s Eve singing tradition).  

Over time, of course, women’s rights throughout America slowly progressed from a limited legal status to constitutional equality in many areas, driven first by the women’s suffrage movement then by legislative gains addressing workplace discrimination, voting rights, reproductive rights, and economic autonomy.

Two Different Lives for the Women of White Haven

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A life of privilege or of hardship. For the women who lived on the White Haven plantation in the 19th century, their overlapping fates depended on the color of their skin.

Ulysses S. Grant spent most of his pre-Civil War civilian years living at the 850-acre plantation. It was also home to his wife Julia Dent Grant and their growing family of four children, Julia’s parents and six siblings, and several of Grant’s own relatives. The family enjoyed a life of wealth and privilege, benefiting mostly from Colonel Dent’s success as a planter and merchant.  

At the other end of the spectrum, White Haven was also where dozens of enslaved African Americans lived and toiled. Long before Grant married into the Dent family, slave labor had been essential to the daily operations of the plantation, whether the enslaved worked in the field and orchards or in the home.  

The family matriarch at White Haven, Ellen Wrenshall Dent, managed the domestic duties of the household, overseeing food preparation, clothing production, childrearing, entertaining of guests, and other daily routines (primarily carried out by the enslaved staff). Julia described her mother as “a great reader, fond of poetry and music. She was beautiful, kind, and gentle.”

Julia and her younger sisters Nellie and Emma had access to education, leisure, and social mobility. From the ages of 10 through 17, Julia attended the Misses Mauros’ Academy, a boarding school in St. Louis. She studied literature, history, philosophy, and other subjects considered appropriate for young women of her class, as well as an apt preparation for a woman who would become one of the most prominent First Ladies of the 19th century. 

Contrast the Dent women’s genteel lifestyle with that of the enslaved women at White Haven. Like their male counterparts, they lived under a system of forced labor, enduring restrictions on their freedom, harsh working conditions, and the threat of family separation.  

The African American women on the plantation were charged with cleaning the home, feeding the livestock, cooking the Dent and Grant families’ meals, helping raise their children, and serving guests – all the while having to live in crude cabins on the property.  

Among these women were Mary Henry, who was enslaved by the Dent family prior to the Civil War and was a playmate of Julia’s as a child; Mary Robinson, another childhood friend of Julia’s who eventually became the family cook;  Jule, whom Julia described as “always a favorite of mine” though she ran away while on a journey with Julia; and Henrietta Jones, who nursed the White Haven children. 

The children of the enslaved were forbidden to attend school, or to read or write, though chalk and other tools found hidden in the floorboards of the winter kitchen show that the plantation’s enslaved were learning to write. Countless other indignities formed the daily life of the enslaved women of White Haven, despite the assertion from Julia and her sisters that they were always treated well.

Slave quarters at White Haven (left image)
Summer kitchen at White Haven where Mary Robinson cooked and may have lived (right image)

Little wonder that during the Civil War, the remaining enslaved laborers at White Haven simply walked off, as they did on many plantations in both Union and Confederate states. Little is known about where most of them wound up, although Mary Robinson and Mary Henry apparently remained in St. Louis and were interviewed by local newspapers after Grant’s death in 1885.

Want to learn more?  Visit the park for a ranger talk on The Women of White Haven on at 10 a.m. Saturday March 21. The lecture is free, but please call 314-842-1867 ext. 230 for reservations.

Digging Deeper into the Lewis and Clark Expedition

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We hope our recent blog quiz highlighting little-known facts about the Lewis and Clark Expedition left you wanting more. If that’s the case, we recommend a visit to several of our partner sites to see their exhibits on the famous explorers.   

The museum at Gateway Arch National Park features extensive displays highlighting the Corps of Discovery’s many accomplishments, including hands-on interactives that appeal to younger visitors.

Learn about the Louisiana Purchase, or the Indigenous people who helped the explorers, or the plants and animal species the explorers found along the way. You can also examine spyglasses, theodolites, and other tools similar to those used during the journey.  

After your Arch visit, stroll down to the St. Louis riverfront to see a large sculpture of Lewis and Clark, accompanied by Lewis’ dog Seaman. The 23’ bronze by artist Harry Weber was completed in 2006 to commemorate the bicentennial of the explorers’ return.

The Expedition figures prominently in the interpretive stories told at Missouri National Recreational River. In 1804, while traveling up the Missouri River on their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean, Lewis and Clark participated in a Grand council with the Yankton Sioux at a site below Calumet Bluff. This significant meeting was the first meeting with a Sioux tribe on their journey upstream. 

Lewis, Clark, and their crew approach the Hill of Little Devils (now known as Spirit Mound) in late August of 1804

Visitors to the park can follow in the travelers’ footsteps to discover Spirit Mound and other memorable sites recorded in their journals.

The nearby Lewis and Clark Visitor Center now stands on Calumet Bluff, the site of the explorers’ historic meeting with the Yankton Sioux. The visitor center features educational exhibits that interpret the Expedition.

Looking for more? Then check out our extensive collection of interpretive products related to Lewis and Clark. Many are available at our park stores, but you can also find them in our online store:

There’s no better way to hear the voices of the explorers than by reading the journal entries of the expedition’s leaders:

learn more

Or read noted historian Stephen Ambrose’s account of the expedition:

Learn more

Teens will enjoy reading the inspiring story of the Shoshoni girl who made valuable contributions to the expedition:

learn more

It’s never too early to interest kids in Lewis and Clark’s adventures:

Spy glass
compass
seaman

Test Your Knowledge of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

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We all heard about the Lewis and Clark expedition in school, right? We learned that President Thomas Jefferson dispatched the Corps of Discovery in 1804 on a journey through the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. They were ordered to map the terrain, to befriend the Native peoples they encountered, to document and collect new animals and plants, and to search for an all-water Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.  

But we unearthed some little-known facts about the expedition that we bet you didn’t learn in school. Take our little quiz to test your knowledge and wow your friends at the next Trivia Night.

While serving as a young army officer in 1795, a drunk Meriwether Lewis was court-martialed for allegedly challenging a fellow officer to a duel. Though he was found not guilty, he was transferred to a different rifle company to avoid future disputes. His new commander turned out to be – you guessed it – William Clark.

Scroll down and click page 2 for the next question.  

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You Mean They Drive on the Ice?

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During harsh winter conditions, most of us do our utmost to avoid driving on icy roads. But not so at Voyageurs National Park, where visitors intentionally drive on ice!

Every winter, park staff members clear snow from parts of Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake, creating ice roads that visitors can use. The roads are open to cars and trucks weighing less than 7,000 lbs. (Snowmobiles are not permitted). The speed limit is 30 mph. The roads are typically very wide – up to 60 feet or more – giving vehicles plenty of room to park and spread out.

Voyageurs’ two main ice roads begin at the park’s visitor centers, though the routes vary from year to year. Depending on weather conditions, they are open from early January to mid-March.  

The park takes visitors’ safety very seriously. When heavy snow, slush, or thin ice exists, an ice road may be closed or shortened for safety. Specially trained staff test the ice thickness frequently and they post warning signs when the roads are unsafe for travel.

Steam log hauler, 1915 

Northern Minnesota ice roads have a long history. Starting in the late 19th century, lumberjacks created ice roads to transport logs efficiently. And truckers carrying other loads commonly took advantage of the frozen lakes.

Why do park visitors use the ice roads today, you ask? Some use them to access cross country ski trails. Others take their kids to a popular sledding hill. Still other visitors drive to their favorite ice fishing spots, where they spend the day waiting at a fishing hole for a bite from below.

Whatever the reason, driving the ice roads is just another unique part of North Woods culture. 

Plowing the ice road on Rainy Lake

Happy 200th Birthday, Julia!! 🎂

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Who doesn’t love a birthday? Well, Julia Dent Grant has a milestone birthday this month. America’s 18th First Lady was born 200 years ago – on January 26, 1826. Throughout this year Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site will celebrate this auspicious event with special programs and exhibits that focus on various aspects of her life.

The fifth of seven children, Julia Boggs Dent was born in St. Louis and raised in comfortable surroundings on the 850-acre White Haven plantation. She was an active child who fished, played piano, rode horses, and played in the woods. Many of her early playmates were children of the enslaved who lived on the property. Some of these children would later become her servants.

As a schoolgirl, Julia declared that she would marry “a soldier, a gallant, brave, dashing soldier.” After returning home from boarding school, she met that soldier in Lt. Ulysses S. Grant, a former West Point roommate of Julia’s brother Frederick. When he was stationed at nearby Jefferson Barracks, Ulysses soon became a frequent visitor to White Haven, where he and Julia enjoyed walks and horseback rides. The couple fell in love quickly, and Grant proposed marriage on the front porch of White Haven in the spring of 1844. Because of his military service, however, they had to wait until 1848 to marry.  

Neither set of parents was enthusiastic about the match – Julia’s were worried about Grant’s earning potential, while his parents objected to the Dents’ ownership of enslaved workers. However, the couple seemed deeply attached to one another and remained so throughout their 37-year marriage. Their four children were born between 1850 and 1858.

When Ulysses’ military career took him to remote locations, Julia did not accompany him. He suffered from loneliness and eventually resigned from the Army, returning to White Haven in 1854 to try his hand at farming. Julia considered herself “a splendid farmer’s wife,” raising chickens and even churning butter, though most of the daily chores were left to the enslaved laborers. 

The Civil War dramatically altered the Grants’ lives. In 1861 Ulysses left to serve in the Union army, and his responsibilities kept him away from home for most of the war. Letters helped ease the pain of separation, and Julia frequently traveled to her husband’s encampments, both alone and with the children. For a close-up look at the couple’s intimate relationship, check out A Thousand Kisses, a short video that JNPA produced on behalf of the historic site.

When Grant was elected President in 1869, Julia became a trusted confidant to her husband and often participated in presidential matters. She attended Senate hearings, read through Grant’s mail, and met with cabinet members, senators, justices, and diplomats. She apparently enjoyed her role as hostess to the nation and brought a home-like atmosphere to the White House.

Grant succumbed to throat cancer in 1885, but the profits from publication of his memoirs left Julia a wealthy woman. (Pick up your copy of his memoirs at the park or from our online store.) For the next 17 years, she worked to sustain the memory of her beloved husband. She died in 1902. 

Those interested in learning more about Julia are invited to attend Julia Dent Grant – Diplomat, a special lecture at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site on Saturday January 24. The presentation will trace Julia‘s life from her childhood when she interceded with her father on behalf of the White Haven enslaved to her widowhood when she befriended Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It will also focus on Julia Dent Grant’s role as a diplomat and unofficial ambassador. The program is free but call 314-842-1867 ext. 230 for reservations.

Who Says Winter Can’t Be Fun?

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Winter in Minnesota – what can there possibly be to do? PLENTY, if you’re up for the fun outdoor activities available at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area! Hardy souls who are willing to brave the snow and low temperatures have a range of pursuits to choose from throughout the park’s 72-mile corridor.  

For wildlife lovers, there’s no shortage of opportunities to see eagles roosting in trees or fishing for prey along the Mississippi River, especially below Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings, MN. Observation platforms make bird-watching easy. You can also spot a variety of waterfowl that tend to congregate in open waters below the river dams, including the elegant tundra swan.

Of course, there’s always a bracing hike in the snow, either by taking advantage of groomed paths or by striking out across the untouched landscape. The park also serves as a vast winter playground for snowshoers. 

Or how about a little ice fishing, a quintessential Minnesota sport? Both adults and kids can sign up for one of the park’s ice fishing workshops, where they’ll learn how to drill a hole through the ice, handle the equipment, and haul up the catch. Among the fish they might catch are sunfish, northern pike, crappies, and largemouth bass.

Experienced ice anglers and National Park Service rangers offer instruction, and provide poles, tackle, and bait. Participants can even warm up in a heated shelter or peer into the mysterious under-ice world through an underwater camera and learn about the challenging conditions faced by life beneath the ice. Of course, safety is a priority, so the park staff always checks the ice thickness before each event.

No matter where you wander this winter, be sure to make time to enjoy the outdoors. And remember, our national parks are waiting for you.

Season’s Greetings – from 1949!

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The National Park Service is charged with preserving our nation’s history, including millions of original documents, photos, drawings, maps, personal letters, and other important records that chronicle the vital heritage and stories of the American people. And sometimes, the NPS archival collections even include some lighthearted mementos from our shared past.  

Case in point: this holiday card from 1949. It shows a three-year-old Billy Blythe standing at his family’s fireplace. Why is this worth saving, you might ask? Because Billy (later William Jefferson Clinton) grew up to become the 42nd President of the United States.

The staff at President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site also unearthed these greeting cards from the Blythe family, probably from the same year. (Little Billy must have been kept busy posing for photos!)

Naturally, no one in the Blythe family knew that young Bill would eventually grow up to be President…or did they? His maternal grandmother Edith Cassidy prophetically wrote to a friend about a present she and her husband were planning to give her grandson:

Replica of Billy’s roll top desk in the Birthplace Home

Sometimes a nostalgic look at the past helps us put the present in perspective. So consider these quaint holiday messages from 1949 as our way of wishing you a 

Grant’s Christmas Present to the Nation

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Most of us probably assume that Christmas Day has always been a holiday in the U.S., even during colonial days. Not so – it wasn’t until 1870 that December 25 was proclaimed a national holiday. And we have President Ulysses S. Grant to thank for that official declaration.

Early Americans’ observance of Christmas depended on where you lived. The Dutch colonists in New York celebrated the day, as did the British in Virginia. But many Puritans in New England looked upon Christmas as a pagan festival; in many communities, including Boston, it was actually a crime to celebrate on Dec. 25. The strict and pious Puritans disapproved of the drinking, feasting, and dancing associated with Christmas, regarding it instead as a muted, solemn affair more appropriate for church services and praying.  

1659 public notice banning Christmas celebrations in Boston 

In the early 1800s, Christmas became increasingly popular in the South, and newly arrived European immigrants in New England managed to lift the local bans on celebrating the holiday. A number of states (beginning with Louisiana in 1830) declared Dec. 25 a holiday. Families started sending Christmas cards, decorating fir trees, and preparing festive meals.

Early American Christmas card, 1850

During the Civil War, soldiers celebrated by decorating their camp trees and singing carols. During the first year of the war President Lincoln and his family observed the day by holding a Christmas party at the White House.

Thomas Nast illustration of Abraham Lincoln welcoming Confederates to Christmas dinner, 1864  

It wasn’t long before business leaders became frustrated with the patchwork holiday celebrations that varied state by state, interrupting their businesses on different days in different places. They encouraged politicians to formalize the Christmas observance nationwide.  

In June 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill into law establishing Christmas Day and New Years Day, among others, as nationally observed holidays. In addition to appeasing the business community, it was hoped the move would help unify a nation still divided by the Civil War. 

To honor Grant’s historic act, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site has created a special Christmas exhibit in the park’s museum. Artifacts on display include holiday letters from Julia Dent Grant to family members, seasonal political cartoons, and a nutcracker representing Grant. The exhibit will last through early January.

You’ll also want to visit the park at 5:30 Sunday December 14 to experience White Haven by Candlelight. Lights and decorations will adorn the historic house both inside and out, carolers and musicians will entertain guests, and 19th century foods will be on hand. At 7:00, visitors can enjoy a concert by the Buckhhannon Brothers in the park’s theater.

🎁 Gift Giving Made Easy 🎁

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Stuck on what to give friends and family members this holiday season? If any of your loved ones are national parks lovers, history buffs, or outdoors enthusiasts, we’ve got you covered. We offer a wide range of keepsakes and products from our partner parks that are sure to please even the pickiest person on your gift list.

Our national parks are well represented in our ornament collection. We offer two versions honoring Gateway Arch National Park:  the 2025 ornament commemorates the re-opening of the Old Courthouse, while our 2026 version features a stunning three-dimensional rendering of the Arch entrance.  

A dreamy scene of historic White Haven on a snowy night would be a perfect ornament for fans of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.

To honor the groundbreaking desegregation history at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, we offer this handsome ornament featuring four layers of cutout wood. 

The boyhood home of Bill Clinton is hand painted on our beautifully detailed glass ornament from the President Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, while our 3D wooden ornament from Voyageurs National Park features a more rustic design.

Coffee and tea drinkers on your list would enjoy this attractive pottery mug from Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park.   

And for those who’ll be venturing outdoors this winter, how about this cozy hoodie featuring the name of Missouri National Recreational River or this jaunty knitted beanie from Voyageurs?

If you or someone you know is a fan of the iconic Gateway Arch, you’ll want to snap up one of our commemorative items honoring the 60th anniversary of the monument’s completion. These keepsakes are available for only a limited time, so don’t delay!

And finally, let’s not forget the littlest national park fans. We offer a wide range of fun and educational products for kids of all ages, including glow-in-the-dark shirts, books, puzzles, and water bottles. One of our most popular and unique toys is our new Gateway Arch teddy bear that kids can personalize with our washable markers. He’d look adorable under the tree.

To make your holiday shopping easier, you can order all of these products from our online store. Just be sure to get your order in no later than December 17 to make sure your gift arrives before Christmas.